Soft Target

Recommended--recreational read

Extreme characters (on both sides of the law) that are meant to stir your emotions in an over the top plot that tests the readers patience in this predictable yarn. Saying that first, it is a fun , escapist read in seeing how the author will resolve what he set up to be an unresolvable situation. He semi-succeeds but in an unsatisying and unsatisfactory way. I hope he soes not plan to bring some of the these flawed characters back.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Sophomoric, not believable - find something else

The plot for "Soft Target" provided the author with an opportunity to develop a nice story, but instead it turned out to be predictable, sophomoric and snarky while throughout, not believable. Without giving away the story, all the access doors to the mall are locked and the police are stymied as to how to gain entrance because of this. Has the author ever driven by a mall to see all the glass doors in the anchor stores that available for breaking in? Just an example of how the story never gets you pulled in. As another reviewer mentioned ("Rolling on the Floor"), the thinly veiled comparison of the head of the State Police (Col. Obobo) to someone of a similar name and heritage who lives on Pennsylvania Ave. is sophomoric and silly ...and snarky. Tom Clancy seems to have fallen into this political trap as well with his recent "Locked Down". None of the characters, with the exception of "Our Hero" have two neurons in their brain to rub together, and if they do, they are too self-absorbed to help the poor people in the mall. At only 256 pages, it's a mercifully quick read, but you can do better if you're looking for suspenseful mind candy.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Too Short

I got into Stephen Hunter through Bob Lee Swagger. This book was too short and had a couple of boring spots in it. I do believe that he could adapt Cruz as another Bob Lee.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Rolling on the Floor Laughing

Mr Hunter, it would seem, wears his politics on his sleeve. The incompetent chief of the Minnesota State Police is a Kenyan, Mr. Obobo who is a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law. Obobo drifts through one top assignment after another. He and his loyal sidekick decide that this crisis is too good to waste and accuse Minnesotans of clinging to their guns, bibles, and resistant to change. What a hoot! I'll finish the review when I finish the book. Obobo!!! Gotta love it!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

C'mon Stephen; get that computer humming.

Not really a review as book is not yet out. But I have had to start reading Stephens books a second time waiting for this new one to come out.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

America, the Mall, an enormous mall on the outskirts of Minneapo

America, the Mall, an enormous mall on the outskirts of Minneapolis is abuzz with excitement. It is Black Friday and the huge mall is jam-packed with shoppers trying to get the latest deal. The amusement park rides are running and a little girl is sitting on Santa's lap, telling the jolly man what she wants for Christmas. All is well until somebody shoots and kills Santa while the little girl talks. Chaos breaks out as a terrorist group, the "Mumbai Brigade," herds all the panicked shoppers into the center of the mall where they plan to kill helpless shoppers and get their message out to the world.

Ray Cruz, who many readers will have met from Hunter's previous book, Dead Zero, is in the mall shopping with Molly, his fiancée when the terrorists strike. A retired Marine sniper, he may be the only hope for the 1,000 shoppers being held hostage. After seeing to the safety of Molly and some other shoppers who he hides in the back of a store, Ray goes to work.

This rapid pace thriller takes place all in one day, in fact, within seven hours it's all over. There isn't much time for Ray, or the reader, to take a breath as there is something happening on every page. The action shifts between Ray, the terrorists, a news crew, other snipers, as well as the police. Add in a bit of cyber warfare, and a storeowner with an agenda, and you'll be eager to find out if there's more to the terror attack than a group of teenage boys with guns. Without a doubt, the sections featuring Ray are the standouts and while his fiancée fades to the background, keep an eye out for Lavela Oates. Ms. Oates was doing her best to get through her first day of work at a day care center in the mall and she's not about to lose her job over some crazed jihadists. While some may find the Somali terrorists a bit too predictable in their insane plans, others will see this as a great action thriller and a story line that could well happen one day.

Quill says: Those who like their thrillers to start fast and never let up, won't be disappointed with Soft Target.

Good read

I dont see why every one is hating on this book there are a few things that get dragged on but it might have been better for me since i live in minnisota an go to the mall a lot i was able to relate to much of it very good

Ally

Hey

May

Brings in products

Very bad

Worst book I ever picked up. What a waste, very boring, I skipped entire uninteresting worthless chapters of information about nothing.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. If I could get a refund I would. Thumbs down minus 5 stars

Not Recommended for Bob Lee Fans.

Been a Swagger fan for a long time, which is why I bought this book. But Bob Lee's not in it. Ray Cruz is a poor stand-in. Since I started this book, and I'm not even finished yet, I've been feeling like I read this story before. Terrorists in a mall, and a lone "hero" to work it out. I can't, for the life of me, remember where it was, but I KNOW I've read it.

I spend much of the time reading this book skipping whole paragraphs, or even pages, because of TEDIOUS descriptions of people's actions. Characterizations make no sense, really, as you have: a State Police commander who seems to be a pacifist (Obobo? Really?); a female store clerk (Lavelva?! What kinda name is that!??!) who's secretly a ninja; a gym-toughened Marine who can't beat a Somali in hand-to-hand combat without the secret-ninja's help; a SWAT sniper who can't hit what he's aiming at...and this is all without having finished the book yet.

Why do I keep reading? Maybe I hope it'll get better, though I can't see that happening. Maybe I'll remember what the OTHER book was that was so similar to this. I'd hate to think Mr. Hunter actually released this book several years ago, and just decided to re-write and re-release it after "Dead Zero", where we meet Ray Cruz.

If you haven't bought it yet...don't.

Just one man's opinion.

Soft target

Gt

Just Awful

This is beyond terrible. I wish I could put negative stars. I LOVE the Earl Swagger books and REALLY REALLY LIKE the Bob Lee Swagger books but this is contrived, boring and terrible. Bought it as an audio book, listened to 1/2 and stopped. Please go back to what works. This is painfully bad

Soft Thriller

The author has shown that he can write a thriller, but this one did not have the edge that I expected from reading his previous works. The shopping mall may have been used as something that readers could relate to, but I didn't. The young bad guy has powers well beyond what a spoiled rich kid was likely to accrue, and I just couldn't see a real Iman buying into him.

WHY .. ?????????

I was looking so forward seeing odopo get what he deserved instead hes now head of the FBI very disappointed a good story til the end why do liberals come out ahead even in fiction.

To short

I expected it to be a longer lasting suspense. It had some boring spots in it, but I believe that Cruz could be up there with Bob Lee.

Good

This the first book that i have read by this author and i really enjoyed it even though i usually dont read this type i would recommend this book to anyone who likes non stop action because it has it from beging to end the only problem i had with this book was all the jumping around it did but it was still a good book

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